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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27601522">I will Carry You (Always)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rune4u/pseuds/rune4u'>rune4u</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends to Lovers, Just something warm at 2am, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:30:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27601522</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rune4u/pseuds/rune4u</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongin is jittery for his big competition tomorrow, he finds solace in Sehun.<br/>Sehun is happy to provide in exchange for his friend's laughter, he easily finds love in Jongin.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>monthlysekai's Love at First...</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I will Carry You (Always)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <i>Love at first video call written for monthlysekai's Challenge #1</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Saw a sekai edit on youtube and found my calling (pun intended) to this.<br/>Highly suggest to listen to this <a>song</a> while reading.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sehun's already dozing off when his phone starts to scream. It's too loud for the silent night, nagging at him to pick up. Grunting, he slides across the queen-sized bed and snatches it up from the nightstand. 'Jongin is requesting a video call,' it reads. He can pretend to already be sleeping soundly and no one would know, but this is Kim Jongin and he outweighs everything else when it comes to priority.</p><p>They are the best of friends, after all.</p><p>Turning on a table lamp, enough to light up half of his face, Sehun accepts the call. The screen goes black for one second before displaying a cuddly-looking Jongin. His raven hair still damps from the shower (he always washes up before sleep), body clad in dark blue bear-patterned pyjamas (his favourite), and hugging a huge teddy bear to his chest (he never goes anywhere without the bear). No one says anything during the first minute. They both choose to snuggle deeper into their own plush, soft and content smile playing on their lips.</p><p>"What's up?" Sehun decides to start, finally. He assumes Jongin probably ended up shy after initiating the call (always the shyer one). It is their first time to talk through a video call, despite knowing each other their whole lives. Jongin gets awkward when facing new territories (meeting new people, trying new things). Sehun prides himself in being accommodating, he always takes the first step then guides Jongin through.</p><p>"Were you sleeping?"</p><p>"It's..." He glances at the top right of his phone screen. "2 am." Jongin's kind of mumbling into his teddy, he almost missed the question. Sehun stretches to reach for his earphone, plugs it in then returns with full attention to his friend. "What's wrong, Nie? You couldn't sleep... something's bothering you?"</p><p>A rustling sound, he sees Jongin adjust his position on the bed, getting more comfortable on his tummy, teddy under his chin as he stares back at Sehun. A soft smile gracing his features. "Nothing, really. I've just been tossing around and thought of you." The disbelief on his face must've been obvious because Jongin laughs and adds. "Alright, alright. I'm very nervous... and jittery for tomorrow."</p><p>Right, tomorrow. Jongin and his team had been preparing for months, hours of practice every day, just for the competition tomorrow. No wonder Jongin couldn't find sleep. Sehun wouldn't be able to sleep himself if he were in his place, not when the whole school placed hope on them.</p><p>"When would it be?"</p><p>"Our session would start around 10 am. We'll be the third team to perform."</p><p>When they entered high school, Sehun was expecting Jongin to sign up for rugby or football. The boy loves sports and working out. That'll make sense. He was surprised to find out his friend picked up dance and orchestra instead. Sehun understands why he chose dance club, but orchestra? He wasn't even aware that Jongin is into orchestra music, much less playing it. It wasn't until Jongin's first junior recital that Sehun finally understood.</p><p>He has no idea how Jongin did it but he looked ethereal. Polished violin snug on his shoulder, strings vibrate into beautiful melodies, Jongin looked like he belonged there - on the stage, making music, shining brighter than the stars. His friend is a prodigy, plays the best solo, gets promoted fast. Sehun never missed any of his performances. He has to be there, he needs to be there: for Jongin, for himself.</p><p>Jongin and his team left their city four days ago for a national symphony orchestra competition in Seoul. Their school might’ve been hosting the best team in their city, but never did they join a national competition before this. Professional violinists will be there too, looking for recruits to their respective teams, scholarships offered on the table. Jongin expressed that he wanted to do this for life, so this competition is very, very important for him. That explains his jitters, despite winning a handful of trophies himself.</p><p>"You know what I think?" When Jongin lifts his head again, their eyes match and Sehun sends him a warm smile. "I think you'll do just fine. You only started to play for four months when you won the best musician award. And now, two years later? There’s something wrong with their ears for sure if they don't sign you up for the scholarships right away, Nie."</p><p>"You're exaggerating."</p><p>Sehun scoffs, playfully. "Your shelf full of trophies begs to differ." There's a sweet sound of laughter echoing into his ears, Sehun smiles wider. Jongin still looks somewhat stiff but he could tell the boy is less tense compared to the beginning of their call. He's glad. "But, honestly, why would you think I'd be awake?"</p><p>"Have you ever slept earlier than 2?" The raven-haired deadpans, snorting almost as if he was stating a matter of fact - which is not too far from the truth. He does know him well.</p><p>"You know my mom took my PS4 away because I almost failed Chemistry last exam. Don't rub my wound like this, you ass."</p><p>"You wouldn't be in this position if you listened to me, you jerk." Sehun visibly deflates. Jongin giggles at his misery.</p><p>Giggles? Did Jongin just giggle at him? Sehun quietly stares at his screen, watching the way tiny crinkles formed around his friend's eyes, deep prominent dimples taking shapes on his cheeks, his eyes almost closed but Sehun could still see the stars twinkling in them. A whole ass galaxy. It's so... breath-taking.</p><p>"Fuck." It slipped without control; his sigh heavy. He panics when Jongin perks up from it, the stars vanished and replaced with curiosity. And confusion.</p><p>"Did you say something?"</p><p>"Oh, n-nothing." It's obviously 'something' and Jongin must've noticed too so Sehun is quick to change topics. He hastily starts: "Did they give you your own room?" He just realises that Jongin is alone. They went as a team of 30. He doesn't expect that Jongin would be given a single room. He imagined that the students would be forced to cram inside small rooms.</p><p>"The perks of being Concertmaster, I'd say." Jongin answers smugly, then he's laughing again. "Kidding. I'm rooming with Baekhyun and Minseok but I think Jongdae brought his Nintendo with him. So, they're flooding his room right now. I hope they somehow still remember that we have a competition tomorrow and no one would oversleep."</p><p>Sehun hums in agreement, but then he spots another set of frowns on the boy's forehead. "You're frowning really bad. You'll get wrinkles."</p><p>"Wrinkles are the least of my worries right now, Oh Sehun." Jongin sighs loudly, his turn to deflate onto the bed. "I am confident... or I was until I saw the other teams play during our tuning session earlier. It's nothing like previous competitions, Sehunnie. These are all elites and I'm not sure if we have it in us to beat them. Heck, I don't even know if we should be standing next to them. You should have seen the team from Seoul Music High. And now, I'm afraid I'd mess up. What if my strings snap when we're tuning?"</p><p>"Hey, hey, Kim Jongin. Calm down." The boy is panting, he almost had a breakdown. "I think you have nothing to worry about. I may not be an expert in this field, hell, I know no shit about orchestra or music, but I went to all of your recitals and believe me when I say you play like the violins were made for you."</p><p>"You went to all but this one..." Jongin probably didn't mean it for him to hear, because he was mumbling into his teddy but it was dead silent around them and Sehun did hear him. At that time, Sehun feels like someone took his heart throwing it down from a fucking skyscraper. It shattered into pieces. The sad, dejected look does not suit his friend, he decides.</p><p>He wanted to go, so badly, but Seoul is hours away from their small city and the competition's going to take place on a weekday. He can't skip school; his mom would kill him. He has no money to afford train tickets either so he can't sneak out. God knows how miserable he felt when he had to watch the train depart, with Jongin refusing to talk or even spare him a glance.</p><p>"I'll ask Mark to Facetime me during your session so I could watch you live. Maybe I won't be there physically, but you know my support is always with you, right? And that I'm always there for you, with you. At least remember that, hm?" Sehun cringes. Was that too sappy? He doesn't dare to look at his screen, too embarrassed of what he just blurted out. He sure has a loose mouth. Maybe it's the wee hours, maybe it's just the lack of sleep, maybe it's just... him.</p><p>The line is once again in silence. There's not even a rustling sound. Sehun is scolding himself in his head. Way to make it awkward. His loose mouth had been a gift, so Sehun was able to say whatever his heart feels without any care of the world. Things normally went his way thanks to his mouth. Not this time, certainly not this time.</p><p>Then, suddenly, Jongin is laughing. He's laughing his sweet, sweet laugh. Sehun lifts his head to watch and he is... oh God, he is enamoured. That exact moment, something clicks inside of him. He knows, he knows now why Jongin has always been his priority, why Jongin is so important to him. He knows... no, he's willing to admit it now.</p><p>He's in love. With his best friend. With Kim Jongin.</p><p>Oh, fuck. Oh Sehun is in love with Kim Jongin.</p><p>"Hey, Nie."<em> I love you</em>. "Win the scholarship tomorrow, for me?"</p><p>"I'll win it, for you."</p><p>They continued talking about nothing yet everything. They talk and talk. He doesn't remember who fell asleep first but the call is still connected when he woke up in the morning. Jongin is all bundled up in the hotel's blanket, his lips parted, a trail of drool goes down and disappears under his jaw. His black mop of hair messy from slumber, teddy squeezed between his arms.</p><p>Oh, God. He's so, so in love.</p><p> </p><p>(Two days later, Jongin returns with the rest of his team. Each of them wearing a huge grin, their instructor holding a trophy, <em>'second'</em> inscribed on the gold plate. It’s not the first place but it’s already beyond their previous achievements.</p><p>Sehun tries not to dash ahead the moment he sees Jongin walking out of the arrival area, he tries to stick to his ground. When their eyes matched, Jongin's smile grows wider, if that’s even possible. That smile puts the Sun to shame, he thinks. He waits patiently until they're standing face to face, then wastes no time in pulling the grinning boy into his arms.</p><p>"I won the best player. I get a scholarship too." Jongin's vibrating in his arms, he could feel his joy. His heart is screaming in fondness, adoration, and love. "You need to work harder now, Sehunnie, so you'll be able to attend Seoul University with me. I don't think they'd accept C's in your transcript."</p><p>Sehun laughs. Jongin is such an ass. "I know, and I will." Taking a deep breath, Sehun pulls away just enough so they're looking into each other's eyes again. He curls a soft smile and leans to press a quick kiss on Jongin's cheek. "I’ll work hard and go with you. I promise."</p><p>The smile Jongin gifts him is blinding but Sehun doesn't shy away. Instead, he slides a hand down to find the boy's own. Their fingers laced together effortlessly, despite this being the first time. Jongin doesn't question him, but he knows he understands. It shows in his eyes and Sehun is sure Jongin could see his love for him.</p><p>"I'll always be there for you.")</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Personal page: <a href="https://rune4u.carrd.co/">rune4u.carrd.co</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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